It is known to provide a bed for a vehicle such as a pickup truck. Typically, the bed is rectangular in shape to define a cargo compartment and is closed at the end by a tailgate. The tailgate is hinged to the bed to have an upright position to close the end of the bed and a horizontal position to open the end of the bed. Other vehicles, such as sport-utility and crossover vehicles may also have small beds. Vehicle beds have traditionally been used to carry or haul cargo, but with the attachment of accessory devices, it may be possible to expand the utility of such vehicles.
Many of such vehicles sold today also have a cargo cover (or tonneau cover) to cover the bed. The cover may be made as a one-piece panel of a relatively strong and rigid material to comply with predetermined strength and performance specifications. Multi-piece cargo covers are also available. These multi-piece foldable cargo covers are usually flat, hard plastic. Anther type of tonneau cover may be flexible cloth or vinyl, and uses a rib-like system to support the fabric and keep the cover taut.